Week 8 football rewind

With three weeks remaining in the regular season, six of the nine MCAL teams have already made themselves eligible for the postseason and another, Novato, looks like a good beat to join that group before the season ends.

Here’s a look at the weekend that was …Bad break for RedwoodWITH his team trailing 21-0 early in the second half Saturday, Redwood coach Corky Henderson thought his team had come up with a huge play to potentially turn the momentum in his team’s favor.
But an official’s whistle brought that potential momentum swing to a screeching halt in what eventually became a 41-6 victory for Novato.
The Giants had just blocked a 30-yard field goal attempt with about five minutes left in the third quarter, and the ball deflected toward the sideline, coming to rest on the 7-yard line. There, Redwood’s Brian Hunca retrieved the live ball and began sprinting upfield for what clearly would have been a touchdown.
Unfortunately for Redwood, an official blew the play dead during the sequence when he should not have done so. And by rule, since the whistle stopped play when it should not have, Redwood did not get the touchdown – or even possession. Instead, Novato’s fourth down had to be replayed. The only thing that went in Redwood’s favor in the sequence is that the ball was mis-spotted 2 yards behind the previous line of scrimmage and Novato missed the second field goal attempt wide left.
“That was terrible,” Hendeson said. “The only thing worse would have been if they would have got to re-kick it and made it. … I’ve never seen that before. Would it have won the game for us? Probably not. But at that point, it was 21-0 and 21-7 is a lot different than 28-0. It could have been the catalyst, who knows? But that was really bad. It hurts.”
Earlier in that Novato possession, Redwood was hurt when it allowed Novato’s Herve Changeux to run up the middle for a 29-yard gain on a third-and-27 play.
“That absolutely floored us all,” Henderson said. “We weren’t expecting that. I think we got caught out of position on that one. You know, they’re good enough to do that on third- or fourth-and-30. That kid’s a heck of a running back.”

A frustrating feelingA 1-6 record is clearly wearing on the Redwood players, with the loss to Novato a particularly disappointing effort after the Giants played solidly in a 6-0 loss to Terra Linda a week earlier.
“Practice-wise, we weren’t prepared,” running back Khari Haynes said. “The people who wanted to play, wanted to play. But it I felt like it was a selfish game; everybody was just in it for themselves. It wasn’t really a team, it was just individuals. So, I just feel like this game is a setback, a really big setback.
“Practice-wise, we didn’t give it our all, to be brutally truthful. I don’t have the words to describe it; it’s hard. The way you practice is how you play. And the way we practiced wasn’t as good as last week.”
“We knew going into this game that they were a tough team and if we wanted to compete with them, we were going to have to work hard the whole game,” added Redwood’s Brian Hunca. “And some people weren’t willing to do that. And you can’t go out there with some people working full speed and the rest not and hope to win a game.”

Two teams receive bad newsNOVATO’S offense suffered a loss Saturday when receiver Nate Barkus suffered a broken collarbone while hauling in a 10-yard pass early in the second quarter against Redwood. Barkus entered the game as the Hornets’ leading receiver.
“He’s a tough player, he works his butt off,” Novato coach Travis Brackett said. “He’s a sophomore, so obviously, he’s got time left in the program. But you never want to see a kid like that, or any kid, get hurt.”
With Barkus sidelined, Alex Schlink will likely be the No. 1 receiving target for Hornets quarterbacks Robbie Cassie and Christian Bosley. Schlink finished Saturday with four catches for 59 yards to move past Barkus for the team receiving yards lead.

SAN MARIN joined Novato in suffering a loss to its receiving corps when Jason Shannon was forced to miss the Mustangs’ game against Justin-Siena on Friday because of a lower-back issue.
Hickey said Shannon was initially hurt in a game against Marin Catholic on Sept. 22 but didn’t mention anything about the problem until two weeks later during a game against San Rafael. Shannon underwent an MRI exam last Friday and his doctor is expected to lay out the next step for him early this week.”
“We’re hoping to have him back this season,” Hickey said.

Playoff picture update
With another week in the schedule gone, a few more teams have made themselves eligible for the North Coast Section playoffs.
Here’s a look at the teams that are currently eligible – the minimum criteria is a final record that is .500 or better either overall, in league play or against teams from that school’s division. Being eligible, however, does not guarantee a playoff berth. And some of the teams with mathematical chances to become eligible in reality have virtually no chance to make the playoffs.Division III (up to 16 teams in playoffs)Already eligible (13): El Cerrito, Marin Catholic, Cardinal Newman, Bishop O’Dowd, Campolindo, Analy, Acalanes, Tennyson, Tam, Terra Linda, Eureka, Hercules, Petaluma.Still trying (11): Miramonte, Novato, Encinal, Alhambra, Sonoma Valley, Del Norte, Kennedy (Fremont), Ygnacio Valley, Piner, Albany, Elsie Allen.Can’t qualify: none.Division IV (up to 16 teams can be in playoffs)Already eligible (12): Justin-Siena, Valley Christian, Salesian, St. Helena, Arcata, San Marin, Fort Bragg, Kennedy (Richmond), Moreau Catholic, Piedmont, Willits, Drake.Still trying (8): Fortuna, Middletown, St. Mary’s, Healdsburg, Clear Lake, El Molino, De Anza, Kelseyville.Can’t qualify (4): St. Patrick/St. Vincent, McKinleyville, Lower Lake, San Rafael

NORTH CENTRAL LEAGUE II/BAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS…………………………Overall…..PF…..PA…..League…..PF…..PA
Upper Lake……………..5-2……..276….118……4-0……196……61
Cal. School for the Deaf….6-1……..215……92…….3-1…….99…….80
Tomales…………………5-2……..288…..108…….3-1…..152……47
St. Vincent………………5-2……..227……162……3-1…..158……83
Calistoga…………………4-3…….199…..171…….2-2……104…….89
Emery……………………2-4…….118……125……1-3……87…..115
Stellar Prep………………1-6…….131……317…….0-4……65…..202
St. Elizabeth……………..0-7……..79……384……0-4……28…..213Friday’s score
Tomales 51, Stellar Prep 14Saturday’s scores
Upper Lake 66, St. Elizabeth 8
St. Vincent 34, Emery 20
California School for the Deaf (Fremont) 42, California School for the Deaf (Riverside) 0Friday’s games
Stellar Prep at California School for the Deaf
Upper Lake at CalistogaSaturday’s games
Tomales at St. Vincent, 2 p.m.
St. Elizabeth at Emery